Using Bees to Scout for Avocado Sunblotch: A Smarter Way to Protect Your Grove
The detection and management of Avocado Sunblotch Viroid (ASBVd) remain one of the most persistent hurdles for the California avocado industry. ASBVd is an insidious, submicroscopic pathogen that disrupts the tree’s normal development, leading to losses in both yield and fruit quality. The "sunblotch" name itself is derived from the characteristic symptoms that often resemble physical sunburn: irregular, sunken crevices of white, yellow, or even reddish-pink coloration on the fruit. Beyond the fruit, infected trees may exhibit yellow or white streaks on young green stems and a distinctive rectangular cracking of the bark on the trunk and larger branches, a condition often referred to as "alligator bark." In severe cases, the entire tree becomes stunted, taking on a sprawling, horizontal growth habit that makes it look far older and less productive than its healthy counterparts.
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